Data Brokers Help Government Spy on Americans, Says GOP Committee Chair

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee speaks during a hearing with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew before the House Energy and Commerce Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on March 23, 2023. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), chair of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, said that companies have collected personal data on Americans that the government purchased and then used to spy on and track the activities of U.S. citizens.

Rodgers made the claim during an April 19 subcommittee hearing of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. The hearing of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee focused on the activities of data brokers that gather personal information and steps that Congress can take to protect and safeguard the sensitive and private information of Americans.